Stop No. 10 on the 2015 Samsung Galaxy World Surf League (WSL) Men’s Championship Tour (CT), the Moche Rip Curl Pro Portugal delivered substantial upsets in the WSL Title race and high-drama scenarios with local wildcards and new generation athletes reaching finals day in front of capacity crowds.

Toledo started his final with a bang, claiming the event’s second perfect 10 point ride for a combination of two aerial manoeuvres and transitional floaters to launch his assault towards a third event title this season. In a combination situation halfway through the Final, Ferreira took his air game to the next level and launched into a huge aerial for a near-perfect 9.93 that put him right back into the battle for first place.

Toledo kept building momentum and confidence and improved on his back-up score with another two-airs combination to increase his lead over Ferreira, ultimately clinching the Moche Rip Curl Pro Portugal title. With a third victory this season, Toledo climbs up to second on the Jeep Leaderboard, only 200 points behind current WSL No.1 Mick Fanning (AUS).

“I have no words, I’m just so stoked,” Toledo said. “I had a crazy two weeks here, I hurt my back right when I got here after France. France was such a bummer for me, but it made me think about everything and put my mind in the right place and now the results are showing. The Final to me is the best heat, I don’t have anything to lose and I just go for it.”

One of the most in-form surfers throughout this whole event, Ferreira fell just short of a first ever CT victory in the final against Toledo, but proved to be extremely consistent in the various conditions on offer in Peniche. Current leader in the Rookie of the Year race, Ferreira nets a career-high result and vaults up to 6th on the Jeep Leaderboard in his inaugural season amongst the World’s Best surfers.

“I just want to thank God for the amazing moments, and thank everyone who showed up here,” Ferreira said. “I can’t believe I just made my first final, I’m so happy. I’m super excited to go to Hawaii and am going to do my best there.”

Brett Simpson (USA), 30, equalled his career-best result with a 3rd place in Peniche, defeated by event winner Toledo in their Semifinal bout. Simpson had a solid campaign in Portugal, defeating Kelly Slater (USA), Joel Parkinson (AUS) and giant killer Frederico Morais (PRT) for his spot in the semis among other big performances. This result will propel Simpson to 26th on the CT rankings, giving the Californian a shot at requalification in Hawaii.

“I think just getting through some heats was a big confidence boost, maybe especially that first one with Parko (Joel Parkinson) where I was behind,” Simpson said. “It’s pretty fatiguing surfing these conditions day in and day out. I physically felt great and my surfing has been there for a while, I just wasn’t making a lot of those close heats. I’m super happy with this result. I will probably need a huge result in Hawaii to re-qualify, but at least with this event I’ve given myself a chance and I’m excited about that.”

In a re-match of last year’s World Junior Championship final, local wildcard Vasco Ribeiro (PRT), 20, took on Ferreira in the semifinals, but this time Ferreira was on a roll and Ribeiro couldn’t find the waves he needed to overtake the Brazilian. Ribeiro’s path to the semis was exemplary, having defeated Jeremy Flores (FRA), Michel Bourez (PYF) and Adriano De Souza (BRA) on his way to an equal third for his first time competing at the highest level.

“It’s amazing, you can’t be sad with a semis result in your first CT ever,” Ribeiro said. “I want to thank everyone who came here to support us and thanks Moche for the opportunity. This for me was just a taste of what the CT is, this is where I want to be. There are a couple more events to go this season and I hope I can keep the ball rolling.”

Reigning WSL Champion Gabriel Medina (BRA), 21, had a mathematical shot at leaving Portugal with the Yellow Jersey had he won the event, but his Peniche campaign was halted in the quarterfinals by a lethal Ferreira. With an equal 5th today, Medina jumps up to No. 4 on the Jeep leaderboard and will be a strong contender when the World Title race resumes at Pipeline next month.

“Conditions were tricky and I couldn’t find the right waves,” Medina explained. “I can’t wait to go to Hawaii, I’ll be surfing in the Triple Crown too. Like I said I wasn’t thinking about the World Title, but to be back in the race feels great. I’m heading home now and will train and do a QS at my home break to get ready.”

Following the completion of the Moche Rip Curl Pro Portugal, the World Title Race heads to Pipeline, Hawaii for the final stop in the 2015 Samsung Galaxy World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT), the Billabong Pipe Masters from December 8-20. Heading into Pipe, six athletes remain in a mathematical position to clinch the coveted WSL Title with the following scenarios:

* If Mick Fanning finishes 25th/13th
Owen Wright & Julian Wilson will need a 1st;
Gabriel Medina will need a 3rd or better;
Adriano de Souza will need a 9th or better;
Filipe Toledo will need a 13th or better to clinch the World Title;

* If Fanning finishes 9th
Medina will need a 1st;
De Souza will need a 5th;
Toledo will need a 9th;

* If Fanning finishes 5th
Medina will need a 1st;
De Souza will need a 3rd;
Toledo will need a 5th;

* If Fanning finishes 3rd
De Souza will need a 2nd;
Toledo will need a 3rd;

* If Fanning finishes 2nd
De Souza will need a 1st;
Toledo will need a 1st;

If Fanning wins the event he will clinch the World Title.

All the results, photos and video footage from the Moche Rip Curl Pro can be found on WorldSurfLeague.com and on the WSL mobile app.

About the World Surf League
The mission of the WSL is simple: to inspire positive change for surfing, our fans and the environment. Formerly the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP), the WSL has been championing the world’s best surfing since 1976, running global products across the Samsung Galaxy men’s and women’s Championship Tours, Big Wave Tour, Qualifying Series, Junior and Longboard Championships, as well as the WSL Big Wave Awards. The League possesses a deep appreciation for the sport’s rich heritage while promoting progression, innovation and performance at the highest levels; it strives to put the world’s best surfers on the world’s best waves.

Showcasing the world’s best surfing on its digital platform at WorldSurfLeague.com, the WSL has energized an already-passionate global fan base with millions around the world tuning-in to see the likes of Kelly Slater, Filipe Toledo, Gabriel Medina, Makua Rothman, Grant “Twiggy” Baker, Greg Long, Stephanie Gilmore, John John Florence, Carissa Moore and others do battle in the most dynamic field of play in all of sports. For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.

A clean swell that built consistently over the day delivered high-quality waves at Supertubos on Sunday to resume the Moche Rip Curl Pro Portugal. The event is Stop No. 10 on the 2015 Samsung Galaxy World Surf League (WSL) Men’s Championship Tour (CT).

Giant-slayer Frederico Morais (PRT), 23, who had dispatched current WSL No. 2 Adriano de Souza (BRA) and Kolohe Andino (USA) to Round 2 in his opening heat, produced yet another huge upset today by eliminating current Jeep Leaderboard frontrunner Mick Fanning (AUS), 34, from the event.

Morais launched his assault in the opening minutes of their exchange with a near-perfect 9.13 (out of 10), displaying his signature forehand power carves and combination snaps to top it off. The talented natural footer backed up his top score to take the biggest win of his young career.

“It’s amazing to win with good scores against Mick Fanning — I’m super stoked,” an emotional Morais said. “Any surfer here would have been a tough competitor, but I’m feeling really good and I have nothing to lose. I just wanted to show how I surf. ”

Morais later went on to win his non-elimination Round 4 heat to reach the quarterfinals in Peniche.

Despite multiple efforts to get back in the lead, Fanning’s Portuguese campaign ended as the three-time WSL Champion could not find the waves he required.

“I was fighting for the inside and thought the set was done, but when I turned around, Frederico was on a dreamboat. He got that 9 and backed it up right away with a couple of 6s,” Fanning stated. “I needed close to 16 points before I even stood up; but I put everything into it and I can’t be disappointed about that.”

Inspired by his countryman’s heroics, reigning World Junior Champion Vasco Ribeiro (PRT), 20, went on to defeat De Souza (BRA) in the very next heat. Backed up against the wall, Ribeiro found a way to score an excellent 8.43 to seal the deal.

Unable to capitalize on Fanning’s early exit in Peniche, De Souza will need a big result in Hawaii for a shot at his first World Title.

“I feel like I left Vasco by himself for just a second because I saw a wave coming; he stayed in the same spot and earned an 8 on a left,” De Souza reflected. “I think he deserved to win. It’s a bummer for me, but at least I’ll have another shot at Pipe.”

Reigning WSL Champion Gabriel Medina (BRA), 21, advanced into the fourth round of competition, courtesy of a huge backhand full rotation on the buzzer against former QS surfer Caio Ibelli (BRA), 22. Ibelli applied pressure on Medina with a 9.77 in the dying moments of the heat, but the World Champion was non-plussed and went on to launch a massive aerial to take the win.

“I feel blessed to get that last wave, I was asking God for one more opportunity and luckily I got one,” Medina said. “Today was a crazy day with the losses of Adriano and Mick, but I’m not thinking World Title, I just want to do good as always. The way I’ve been surfing lately is working for me and I don’t want to add any pressure, I just want to have fun.”

Brazil’s Filipe Toledo (BRA), 20, solidified his outstanding 2015 season with an inspiring performance for a spot in the quarterfinals. The current WSL No.6 — who has won two events this year already — showed his predilection for progressive aerial manoeuvres, delivering multiple big scores to defeat wildcard Mason Ho (HAW), 27, in Round 3 and dominate his Round 4 match-up.

“I woke up this morning feeling like something good was going to happen,” Toledo said. “I was super confident, my boards were feeling good and I just put my head in the right place and everything worked out for me. It’s been a great year for me, and I’ve been having a lot of fun surfing.”

Current WSL No.9 Jeremy Flores (FRA), 27, collected one of the day’s highest combined heat totals, an impressive 17.26 including a near-perfect 9.43 on a long right-hander which the young Frenchman dismantled from start to finish. Flores’ crisp carves on the open face coincided with the perfect tide that pushed glassy 1.5 m (five foot) walls through the lineup.

“I felt like I was getting better wave after wave, and finally everything came together for me,” Flores said. “It was a crazy day and shows that the level of Europe’s surfing is getting stronger. Frederico and Vasco surfed amazing and today – they beat the two current best surfers in the world. I’m not taking anything away from Mick and Adriano either –they’re champions and I’m sure they’ll come back with a great show at Pipe.”

Kolohe Andino (USA), 21, has been leading the charge at the latest major QS events in Europe and carried that momentum into the Moche Rip Curl Pro Portugal. The young Californian proved lethal in the clean shoulder-high surf, mixing powerful snaps and aerials to force Bede Durbidge (AUS), 32, out of competition. Andino went on to clinch the first perfect 10 point ride of the event in an amazing Round 4 matchup before sunset.

“I over-surfed one wave and I was pretty mad at myself because my solid surfing is good enough to make it through most heats,” Andino said. “I’m stoked to win one over Bede because he’s such a great surfer and it’s been a good event for me so far. I’m leading the QS so that takes a bit of pressure off for these last two events. But I want to prove I can re-qualify through the CT, and this will improve my seeding for next year.”

With the eliminations of Caio Ibelli (BRA) and Sebastian Zietz (HAW) today, Andino officially claimed the Portuguese Waves Series – Cascais Trophy, and the US$25,000 prize money bonus, rewarding his consistency throughout the Portuguese leg of events in Azores, Cascais and now Peniche.

“I’m stoked, it’s always fun to win,” Andino added. “Luckily I won in Cascais and made it pretty hard for the other guys. It’s cool that they put this on, it kind of forces CT surfers to enter the QS10,000 which is great for the level.”

Brett Simpson (USA), 30, eliminated 11-time WSL Champion Kelly Slater (USA), 43, in Round 3 with a solid display of powerful and progressive surfing to reach the fourth round for the first time this season. Simpson found his rhythm early on and managed to keep his opponent off of the best waves to control the matchup and take an important win.

“I wanted to make sure I got a decent start and tried not to let Kelly do his thing,” Simpson said. “Fortunately, with two decent rides and priority, I was able to control the heat. I don’t do that enough — this was more of a strategic win. Obviously Kelly is the best ever and I really enjoy surfing against him. I haven’t made it to Round 4 this year, but I keep surfing and having fun — the surf stoke is there!”

Nat Young (USA), 24, was the first surfer to achieve a score greater than 9, with a 9.07 for a series of under-the-lip snaps on an overhead bomb this morning. The 2013 WSL Rookie of the Year, Young had an excellent start on the Australian leg this season, followed by a series of inconsistent finishes, and will be looking to advance through a few more rounds when competition recommences.

“Lately, Sebastian (Zietz) has been surfing really well, so I just wanted to go out there and give myself opportunities,” Young said. “I felt like I was surfing well, I just needed to get on those waves. I can land airs, but not as consistently as other people so I wanted to be in a good position before going to the air.”

Up first when the event resumes will be Vasco Ribeiro (PRT), Keanu Asing (HAW) and Jeremy Flores (FRA) at the Moche Rip Curl Pro Portugal. Round 4 winners progress directly to the quarterfinals while the surfers placing second and third battle for the remaining quarterfinal berths in Round 5.

Surfline, official forecasters for the World Surf League, are calling for:

Old WNW swell lingers into Sunday AM before reinforcing WNW swell filters in during the afternoon. WNW swell continues into early Monday before fading. Solid swell for Tuesday and Wednesday but onshore winds are expected. WNW swell eases on Thursday before more swell shows for Friday and Saturday but local winds are expected to remain problematic for Supertubos.

After calling a lay day on Monday, organisers will convene at 9am South African time on Tuesday to make a call on when to resume competition.

The Moche Rip Curl Pro Portugal will run from October 20 – 31, 2015 and can be watched LIVE via webcast on WorldSurfLeague.com and on the WSL mobile app.

About the World Surf League
The mission of the WSL is simple: to inspire positive change for surfing, our fans and the environment. Formerly the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP), the WSL has been championing the world’s best surfing since 1976, running global products across the Samsung Galaxy men’s and women’s Championship Tours, Big Wave Tour, Qualifying Series, Junior and Longboard Championships, as well as the WSL Big Wave Awards. The League possesses a deep appreciation for the sport’s rich heritage while promoting progression, innovation and performance at the highest levels; it strives to put the world’s best surfers on the world’s best waves.

Showcasing the world’s best surfing on its digital platform at WorldSurfLeague.com, the WSL has energized an already-passionate global fan base with millions around the world tuning-in to see the likes of Kelly Slater, Filipe Toledo, Gabriel Medina, Makua Rothman, Grant “Twiggy” Baker, Greg Long, Stephanie Gilmore, John John Florence, Carissa Moore and others do battle in the most dynamic field of play in all of sports. For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.

The South African Junior Surfing team placed seventh out of the 36 national teams at the 2015 VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championship which ended on Sunday in Oceanside, California.

The hosts, USA, won the coveted ISA World Junior Team Trophy for the first time since the ISA junior worlds were inaugurated as a stand-alone event in Durban in 2002. The winners accumulated 7 536 points from the results of their 12 person team, well ahead of runners-up France with 6 565.

Defending team champions Hawaii clinched the bronze medal this year followed by Australia, Japan, Portugal, South Africa and Costa Rica. The top eight teams in the final standings qualify for the Aloha Cup tag-team event at the next edition of the event in the Azores in September 2016.

Italy’s Leonardo Fioravanti won the Boys’ U18 division, earning a perfect 10 point ride in the final and then adding a near-perfect 9.23 for the highest heat total of the entire event – 19.23 out of 20.

France’s Tessa Thyssen took the gold medal in the Girls’ U18’s, USA’s Stevie Pittman prevailed in the Boys’ U16 final and Hawaii’s Summer Macedo clinched the Girls’ U16 title.

Team captain Shane Sykes (Salt Rock) was SA’s top performer, advancing to the Main Event semi-finals before dropping in the Repercharge Rounds where he was eventually eliminated in ninth place overall in the division.

Surfing South Africa is the recognised governing body for the sport and is a member of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and the International Surfing Association (ISA). All South African surfing teams that participate in international events are ratified by the Board of Directors of Surfing South Africa.

ENDS

For further information contact:

Robin de Kock
General Manager
Surfing South Africa
surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com
0824541149

Tricky conditions with inconsistent waves and onshore winds resulted in four members of the South African team being eliminated on Day 4 from the VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championship at Oceanside in California yesterday.

Shane Sykes continued to lead the team by example and is the only South African left in the Main Event stream. The captain placed second in his U18 boys’ Round 3 heat to advance to the last 16 in the division and is now halfway to reaching the Grand Final.

Joshe Faulkner, Teal Hogg and Olivia Izzard all clinched runner-up berths in their Repercharge Round 2 encounters in the U16 boys’ and the U18 and U16 girls’ divisions respectively. The trio stay on track for the business end of the event while steadily accumulating additional points for South Africa in the team standings.

Ntando Msibi dropped into U18 boys’ Repercharge Round 4 after ending fourth in his Main Event Round 3 heat yesterday, as did Sebastian Williams, Luke Malherbe and Adin Masencamp who finished outside the top two in their U16 boys’ Main Event Round 3 heats. All will resume their campaigns in the repercharge rounds where competitors are given a second chance in cutthroat 15 minute heats.

The other four South Africans team members dropped out of the event after losses in their respective repercharge heats. U18 boys Richard Kidd and Michael Monk placed equal 49th overall and contributed 240 points each towards SA’s team total while Chanelle Botha (U18 girls) and Sophie Bell (U16 girls) placed equal 33rd in their divisions and added 320 points each to the team tally.

South Africa has dropped to 10th place in the provisional team standings. Hawaii, France and the USA still have all 12 team members in contention while Japan, Australia and Portugal have had one surfer eliminated, Costa Rica and Tahiti have ‘lost’ two and Peru three.

All eight South African still in the event will be competing today. See the schedule for Day 5 below with the South African team members and their heat numbers in brackets.

Surfline, the official forecaster predicts 3-4’+ (1.0 to 1.3 metre) wave faces on Friday, with occasional larger sets on the best tides. The conditions will be clean in the morning with light offshore wind, trending light onshore in the afternoon.

The VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championship runs until Sunday 18 October and the action from both sides of the pier can be followed live at http://isaworlds.com/juniors/en/ starting at approximately 4pm SA time daily. The latest news, results, photographs and video footage are also available on the website.

VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing ChampionshipSchedule for Day 5 (Friday – times displayed are South African time)

Surfing South Africa is the recognised governing body for the sport and is a member of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and the International Surfing Association (ISA). All South African surfing teams that participate in international events are ratified by the Board of Directors of Surfing South Africa.

ENDS

For further information contact:

Robin de Kock
General Manager
Surfing South Africa
surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com
0824541149

South African team captain Shane Sykes will be back in action at the VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championship in Oceanside, California today Photo: Isaac February

South African remained in medal contention at the VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championship when all six competitors in action yesterday the posted first or second place results to progress to the next round of their respective divisions at Oceanside in California.

Adin Masencamp got the team off to great start by winning his U16 boys’ Round 2 matchup, delivering an assured performance that earned a heat tally of 14.0 points and relegated opening day standout Logan Bediamol (HAW) to second place as they both moved through to the last 32 in the division’s Main Event stream.

That was followed by Sophie Bell racking up 9.50 points and grabbing second place in her U16 girls’ Round 1 clash behind Emily Gussoni from Costa Rica. Plucky nine year-old Candelaria Resano, who is competing in both the U16 and U18 girls’ divisions for Nicaragua, placed third with 6.50 points

Bell was back in the water on the South side of the Oceanside Pier just over two hours later but in similar fashion to her female teammates on Tuesday, she struggled to find the waves offering high scoring potential and placed third to drop into the Repercharge Rounds in the double elimination format.

The rest of the day’s action consisted of Repercharge Rounds where the competitors who do not make the top two in their Main Event heats get a second chance to stay in the competition. Those finishing outside the top two in repercharge heats are eliminated from the event.

Joshe Faulkner, SA’s only repercharge casualty on the opening day of competition, got his campaign back on track with a solid 12.94 heat winning tally to advance to U16 boys’ Repercharge Round 2 where he faces opponents from Chile, Ecuador and Panama later today.

Teal Hogg secured a comfortable heat win in the U18 girls’ division, as did Chanelle Botha, with both girls progressing to Repercharge Round 2.

And Richard Kidd finished a close second behind Esnaider Parrales from Ecuador to ensure that all 12 South African surfers are still in contention at the event.

South Africa joins defending team champions Hawaii, hosts USA, France, Japan, Peru and Costa Rica as one of just seven out of the 36 national teams participating in the world’s biggest junior surfing event who have not had any members eliminated after three days of competition.

Surfline, the official forecaster, predicts 3-4’+ (1.0 to 1.3 metre) wave faces for Thursday, with occasional larger sets on the best tides. The conditions will be semi clean in the morning with light onshore wind in the afternoon.

See the schedule for Day 4 below with the South African team members who will be action and their heat numbers in brackets.

The VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championship runs until Sunday 18 October and the action from both sides of the pier can be followed live at http://isaworlds.com/juniors/en/ starting at approximately 4pm SA time daily. The latest news, results, photographs and video footage are also available on the website.

Surfing South Africa is the recognised governing body for the sport and is a member of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and the International Surfing Association (ISA). All South African surfing teams that participate in international events are ratified by the Board of Directors of Surfing South Africa.

ENDS

For further information contact:

Robin de Kock
General Manager
Surfing South Africa
surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com
0824541149

Shane Sykes was the star performer for South Africa on Tuesday as the team posted mixed results on the second day of the VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championship at Oceanside in California.

Spectacular 1.0 to 1.5 metre waves, warm water and pristine weather continued to provide the 322 competitors from 36 countries in the world’s biggest junior surfing event with the ideal conditions in their quest for individual and team honours.

Sykes, the team captain, again led by example, accumulating a heat total of 13.43 to relegate Nolan Rapoza from the strong USA team to the runner-up berth as the pair moved into the last 32 in the U18 boys’ Main Event.

Ntando Msibi joined Sykes in Main Event Round 3 when he finished second behind Colt Ward (USA) in a nail-biting heat where the Durbanite avoided dropping into the do-or-die Repercharge Rounds by finishing just 0.03 of a point ahead of third placed Ramon Barreca from Argentina.

Richard Kidd was not as fortunate, ending his heat 0.06 of a point behind second placed Alejandro Fuenzalid from Chile, and he now faces the prospect of competing in the Repercharge Rounds along with teammate Michael Monk who also placed third in his heat yesterday.

The U16 boys completed 12 of their 16 Main Event Round 2 heats. Both Sebastian Williams and Luke Malherbe grabbed runner-up spots to remain in the top tier of the event while Adin Masencamp will be action in Heat 15 today against Day 1 highest point scorer Logan Bediamol (HAW) and competitors from Argentina and Ecuador.

Girls’ competition got underway in front of the judges on the South side of the Oceanside pier. All three South Africans in action struggled to find the waves offering high scoring potential and dropped into the Repercharge stream.

In the U18 girls division Teal Hogg could only muster 2.27 points and ended fourth in her opening heat while Chanelle Botha was unlucky to finish third, just 0.10 of a point behind Sofia Loewy from Colombia, in a tightly contested low scoring encounter.

Olivia Izzard was third in her U16 girls’ heat while Sophie Bell will start her campaign in Heat 14 of Round 1 when competition resumes today.

Leonardo Fioravanti, the sole competitor representing Italy, recorded the standout performance in the U18 boys’ Round 2, earning the highest heat total (18.97) and highest single wave score (9.8) out of all the competitors in action on Day 2.

After two days of competition only USA and France have all their team members in the Main Event. Traditional surfing powerhouses including defending team champions Hawaii, along with Australia, Brazil and Peru all have one or more competitors in the Repercharge Round. The first competitors will be eliminated from the event when the cutthroat 15-minute Repercharge Rounds get underway. today

Surfline, the official forecaster, is calling for even more amazing conditions on Wednesday with 3-5’ wave faces (1.0 to 1.5 metre) and occasional larger peaks on the best tides. The morning will feature light offshore wind, trending to light onshore in the afternoon.

See schedule for Day 3 below with the South African team members who will be action and their heat numbers in brackets.

The VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championship runs until Sunday 18 October and the action from both sides of the pier can be followed live at http://isaworlds.com/juniors/en/ starting at approximately 4pm SA time daily. The latest news, results, photographs and video footage are also available on the website.

Other ways to follow the South African Junior Team’s progress include:

Surfing South Africa is the recognised governing body for the sport and is a member of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and the International Surfing Association (ISA). All South African surfing teams that participate in international events are ratified by the Board of Directors of Surfing South Africa.

ENDS

Note: High resolution images are available to media outlets on request

Ntando Msibi throws a fan of spray on his way to victory in his Round 1 heat at the 2015 VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championship in Oceanside, California on Monday. Photo: ISA / Chris Grant

The South African Junior Surfing team posted a near perfect performance on the opening day of the VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championship which got underway in excellent 1.0 to 1.5 metre waves and ideal weather conditions at Oceanside in California on Monday.

Team captain Shane Sykes led the way as seven of the eight SA team members in action on the day advanced directly to Round 2 of the Main Event in the world’s biggest junior surfing event which ran through 30 heats in each of U18 and U16 boys’ divisions.

Competing in the U18 boys’ on the South side of the Oceanside Pier, Sykes set the bar for the team as early as the second heat of the event when he won his closely fought Round 1 heat. He progressed along with heat runner-up, Luis Perloiro from Portugal, as they relegated their third and fourth placed opponents from Belgium and Denmark to the grueling Repercharge Rounds.

Teammates Ntando Msibi and Richard Kidd racked up narrow victories before Michael Monk, competing in the last heat of the day, made it a clean sweep of opening day heat wins for SA’s U18 boys.

Sebastian Williams, contesting the U16 boys’ division in great waves on the North side of the pier, delivered the standout performance for the team. Having grown up in California and Mexico before relocating to South Africa, Williams was in tune with the waves on offer and used his wide repertoire of manoeuvres to earn scores of 8.43 (the third highest of the day) and 7.50 for a two-wave heat tally of 15.93, the fourth highest in all 60 heats run on Day 1.

Fellow SA U16’s, Luke Malherbe and Adin Masencamp, both finished comfortably in second place behind their respective Portuguese rivals to remain in the Main Event stream.

Joshe Faulkner was the only SA team member to drop into the Repecharge Rounds when he slipped to third place in his opening encounter. The tenacious teenager from Jeffreys Bay will being doing his utmost to post first or second place finishes in 10 consecutive heats to reach the Grand Final of the U16 boys division.

Logan Bediamol from the Hawaii recorded both the highest single ride score (9.67 out of 10) and heat total (17.87 out of 20) in the U16 boys as the defending ISA World Junior Team champions completed eight out of eight heat victories in their quest to secure back-to-back team gold medals and the prestigious ISA World Junior Team Champion Trophy.

The VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championship runs until Sunday 18 October and the action can be followed live at http://isaworlds.com/juniors/en/ starting at approximately 4pm SA time daily. The latest news, results, photographs and video footage are also available on the website.

Other ways to follow the South African Junior Team’s progress include:

Surfing South Africa is the recognised governing body for the sport and is a member of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and the International Surfing Association (ISA). All South African surfing teams that participate in international events are ratified by the Board of Directors of Surfing South Africa.

ENDS

For further information contact:

Robin de Kock
General Manager
Surfing South Africa
surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com
0824541149

The 2015 South Africa Junior Surfing Team marching in the Parade of Nations, part of the opening ceremonies for the VISSLA ISA World Junior Championships in Oceanside California on Sunday Photo: ISA / Sean Evans

Shane Sykes has been selected as the Captain of the 12-person South African Junior Team which gets its campaign underway for individual and team honours at the 2015 VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championship at Oceanside in California today.

The team, managed by Isaac February and coached by Greg Emslie and David Malherbe, arrived in California late last week and has enjoyed excellent waves and conditions at the Oceanside Pier, venue for this year’s event.

With over 320 competitors from 36 countries participating, this is the biggest edition of the annual contest since the ISA Junior Championship was inaugurated as a stand-alone event in Durban in 2002. After finishing eighth, sixth and seventh in the last three years, the SA team event will be going all-out to emulate the glory days of 2011 when they finished second to hosts Peru in the team standings and returned home with four medals.

The opening ceremonies were held on Sunday. First all the teams marched down the boardwalk to the Junior Seau Oceanside Pier Amphitheatre in the colourful Parade of Nations. That was followed by the stirring Sands of the World ceremony where participants from each nation added sand from their home beaches to a special glass receptacle to symbolise the peaceful gathering of the nations of the world through surfing.

The participants were welcomed at the amphitheatre by the Dancing Cloud Singers from the San Luis Rey Mission playing ceremonial drums before speeches from dignitaries and ISA President Fernando Aguerre officially declared the event open.

The event consists of national teams made up of four Under 18 and four Under 16 boys along with two Under 18 and Under 16 girls. They compete for individual honours with the top four finishers in each division being awarded gold, silver, bronze and copper medals at the closing ceremony next Sunday (18 October).

The national team accumulating the highest points tally from the final results of all its members is awarded the ISA World Junior Team Champion Trophy and holds bragging rights as the world’s top junior surfing nation until the next edition of the event.

The top eight nations from the previous year’s standings also compete against each other in the exciting ISA Tag Team event. A selection of four boys and one girl compete in a relay style competition with each competitor having to ride two waves before returning to the team box to tag the next surfer within a specified time limit.

The opening day of competition will see Rounds One of the Under 18 and U16 boys in action. Sykes (U18 boys) and Joshe Faulkner (U16 boys) will be the first South Africans to take to the surf when they compete in their respective divisions.

The event is run simultaneously on dual podiums on the North and South sides of the Oceanside Pier. The contest uses a double-elimination format with the top two in each heat advancing to the next round of Main stream.

The third and fourth placed surfers drop into the cutthroat Repercharge stream where they compete in almost double the number of heats, but can advance all the way the Grand Final in their division provided they do not finish outside the top two in any further heat.

The VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championship runs until Sunday 18 October and the action can be followed live at http://isaworlds.com/juniors/en/ starting at approximately 4pm SA time daily. The latest news, results, photographs and video footage are also available on the website.

Other ways to follow the South African Junior Team’s progress include :

Surfing South Africa is the recognised governing body for the sport and is a member of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and the International Surfing Association (ISA). All South African surfing teams that participate in international events are ratified by the Board of Directors of Surfing South Africa.

ENDS

For further information contact:

Robin de Kock
General Manager
Surfing South Africa
surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com
0824541149

The victorious Cape Town Surfriders team hold aloft the coveted Freedom Cup that they won for accumulating the highest points total at the Billabong SA Junior Champs at Jeffreys Bay Photo: (c) Ian Thurtell

Jordy Maree Leads Cape Town to Victory by Taking U17 Boys’ Title in all Cape Town Final!

Cape Town Surfriders district clinched the coveted Freedom Cup for the team accumulating the highest points at the 2015 Billabong SA Junior Champs which was completed in good one metre waves at the Lower Point in Jeffreys Bay today (Sunday).

The Cape Town team also clinched two of the six individual titles at stake and provided eight of the 24 finalists, earning 32 576 points to finish well ahead of hosts Nelson Mandela Bay (27 956) and third placed defending cup-holders eThekweni (25 170). Cape Winelands repeated their fourth place in the team standings of last year, followed by Buffalo City, Eden, Ugu, the SA Development Academy and uThungulu.

“All around the event has been really well organised with the directors making good decisions to add heats and starting early to get more done on some days,” said Cape Town coach Chris Bond. “The waves have been absolutely firing the entire time with kids getting the best waves of their lives in heats. And the surfers have really been pushing their limits with many excellent scores and a couple of 10 point rides.”

Jody Maree (Cape Town) triumphed in the premier U17 boys’ final where all four finalists came from the South Peninsula area. Maree posted a winning heat total of 16.17 out of 20 with runner-up Ford van Jaarsveldt representing Cape Winelands earning 12.80 to finish just ahead of Cape Town’s Jake Elkington and Ethan Fletcher.

“I’ve been training really hard and it is great to finally win after so many second places – it was awesome,” said Maree. “It was hard out there, the conditions changed quite a lot from when I was watching. I managed to get two good waves but it was hard to hear the PA so I didn’t know what position I was in or who I must sit on.”

Chrystal Hulett (Nelson Mandela Bay) finished well clear of second placed Pippa Jones (Cape Town) in the premier U17 girls’ division, earning 15.87 points to the 10.40 for the runner-up. Taghiti Gericke captured Eden’s only podium finish with third place while Kia Fenton from Nelson Mandela Bay was fourth.

The U15 boys’ title went to a plucky Max Elkington (Cape Town) who recovered from a serious arm injury earlier in the year to secure a nail-biting 15.67 vs. 15.50 victory over local favourite Sebastian Williams (Nelson Mandela Bay). Luke Slijpen (Cape Town) and Angelo Faulkner (Nelson Mandela Bay) finished third and fourth respectively.

Jeffreys Bay local Kirsty McGillivray, who earned one of the two perfect 10 point rides earlier in the event, carried that form into the U15 girls’ final where she racked up a heat tally of 12.84. Defending division champion Sophie Bell took second place ahead of eThekweni teammates Olivia Izzard and Christy Gilmore.

Surfers from eThekweni dominated the U13 results with Brayden Bergset putting 15.50 points on the scoreboard to take the title from the Cape Town pair of York van Jaarsveld (13.83) and Manoa Robb while Dillon Hendricks (Nelson Mandela Bay) grabbed fourth spot.

The 2015 Billabong SA Junior Champs will be remembered by all who attended for the five days of flawless waves at the Lower Point in Jeffreys Bay and the stellar performances by the country’s top young surfers.

Surfing South Africa is the recognised governing body for surfing in South Africa. SSA is a member of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and the International Surfing Association (ISA)

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Note: High resolution images are available for media outlets on request.

Ethan Fletcher (Cape Town) gets his fins free on his way to victory in the U17 boys Round 3 heat at the Billabong SA Junior Champs Photo: (c) Ian Thurtell

Max Elkington Posts First Perfect 10 Point Ride of the Event!

Clear skies, light winds and pumping 1.0 to 1.5 metre waves pouring through the Lower Point lineup at Jeffreys Bay delivered the ideal platform for the country’s top junior surfers to produce blistering performances on Day 3 of the Billabong SA Junior Champs presented by BOS.

Max Elkington, representing Cape Town in the U15 boys division, posted the first perfect 10 point ride of the event when he carved up an overhead wave and finished with an explosive backhand re-entry. Elkington, last year’s U13 champion, went on to win the heat and advance to the quarter-finals along with runner-up Saxton Randall (eThekweni).

Not to be outdone, Nelson Mandela Bay’s top seed Sebastian Williams racked up a two wave heat total of 18.17, marginally less than the highest heat tally of the division (18.50) that he set on Wednesday, and will be up against Elkington in a highly anticipated matchup in the quarters.

Adin Masencamp from Cape Winelands was on fire again, earning scores of 8.67 and a near-perfect 9.77 for a total of 18.44, the highest of the U17 boy’s category. The 2014 U15 champ continues to look a likely contender for the U17 title this year, but faces tough opposition from Bevan Willis (eThekweni), who he faces in the quarters; Tristan Lev and Joshe Faulkner (both Nelson Mandela Bay) and the Cape Town pair of Ethan Fletcher and Jordy Maree, all of whom were heat winners today.

“I was waiting for quite a while, the other guys had already gotten waves and then an absolute bomb came through,” said Masencamp of his 9.77. “The other guys were hustling for it and I managed to get it. As I took off I told myself I wasn’t going to do cutbacks, I’m going to go deep off the bottom and find those pockets where I can hit it.”

York van Jaarsveldt (Cape Winelands) was the top scorer in the U13 boys, where Aye Gericke (Eden). Manoa Robb (Cape Town) and Tide-Lee Ireland (EThekweni) were impressive, while Summer Sutton (Cape Town) was the standout in Round 2 of the U13 girls.

The U15 girls took to the surf late in the day and Sophie Bell (EThekweni) stayed on track to defend her 2014 title with another brilliant performance. Others to shine in Round 3 included Cape Town’s Anna Jellema Butler, Bell’s teammate Olivia Izzard and Jeffreys Bay local and Nelson Mandela Bay team member Kirsty McGillivray.

The final action of the day saw the first of the lucrative specialty events decided when Cape Town won the Billabong / Bad Billy’s Tag Team Paddle Battle and earned R5 000 for the district’s coffers when they triumphed in the five person tag paddle race.

The Billabong SA Junior Champs presented by BOS runs until Sunday when the winners in the U17, U15 and U13 boy’s and girl’s divisions will be crowned the 2015 SA Junior Champions. The district team accumulating the highest point tally across all divisions will be awarded the highly prized Freedom Cup and the winners of the U17 and U15 divisions will be awarded national team blazers.

The event also offers specialty awards totalling more than R20 000 for both surfers and their teams. These include the Billabong / Bad Billy’s Tag Team Paddle Battle, BOS Highest Heat Score, VonZipper Airshow, DaKine Most Progressive Manoeuvre, Skull Candy Stay Loud Team Spirit and the Zigzag Blowing Up awards.

As part of Surfing South Africa’s commitment to transformation, the South African Development Academy team is participating thanks to a grant from Sport and Recreation South Africa.

All the action from the Billabong SA Junior Champs presented by BOS can be followed via:

Surfing South Africa is the recognised governing body for surfing in South Africa. SSA is a member of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and the International Surfing Association (ISA)

ENDS

Note: High resolution images are available for media outlets on request.